Vehicle

ABSTRACT

A vehicle generally consisting of a body of monocoque construction, front and rear axle assemblies provided with brakes, wheels and tires, suspension systems mounted on the axle assemblies for supporting the body on the axle assemblies, a steering system, an engine mounted in the body between the axle assemblies and adjacent both a side of the body and the rear axle assembly, a transmission mounted on the body rearwardly of the engine, a chain assembly for transmitting drive from the transmission downwardly and laterally, means for transmitting drive from a lower end of the chain assembly forwardly to the rear axle assembly, a cooling system for the engine mounted in the body and control means mounted on the body for operating the engine and transmission.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 504,944 filed on June 16,1983, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.287,042, filed July 27, 1981, now abandoned, which is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 145,604 filed May 1, 1980, now abandoned which is adivision of application Ser. No. 927,600, filed July 21, 1978, nowabandoned.

This invention relates to a vehicle and more particularly to a vehiclesuitable for use for military and para-military purposes. The inventionfurther contemplates a vehicle suitable for both land and amphibiousoperations.

In the prior art, there has been developed and used extensivelythroughout the world for military and paramilitary operations, a vehiclegenerally consisting of a pair of axle assemblies provided with wheels,tires and brake assemblies, suspension systems mounted on the axleassemblies, a body of monocoque construction mounted on the suspensionsystems, an engine mounted on the vehicle body, a transmission mountedon the vehicle body and operatively connected to the engine, a driveline arrangement for transmitting drive from the transmission to theaxle assemblies, a steering system operatively connected to one or moresteering axles, a cooling system for the engine, a weapons or personnelstation mounted on the body and various control and other auxiliarysystems.

Generally, the type of vehicle described has performed satisfactorilyfor land and amphibious operations. However, it has been found that suchvehicles have not been completely satisfactory for the purposes intendedin that the load distribution of such a vehicle has been unsatisfactory,resulting in excessive component wear and breakdown, and instabilityduring flotation; the usable space in the vehicle with regard to theinstallation of a weapons system or the provision for personnelaccommodations has been limited; the noise level within the vehicle hasbeen excessive, contributing to the discomfort of personnel within thevehicle; the vision of the operator has been inadequate due to poorviewing arrangements; the maneuverability has been unduly restrictiveand the cost of manufacture has been comparatively high. It thus hasbeen found to be desirable to provide an improved vehicle having adesign obviating such undesirable characteristics and features.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention toprovide an improved vehicle suitable for use for military andpara-military purposes.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved vehiclesuitable for use for military and paramilitary purposes and for land andamphibious operations.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel vehiclesuitable for use for military and para-military purposes having improvedload distribution characteristics.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novelvehicle suitable for use for military and para-military purposes havingimproved stability characteristics during amphibious operations.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel vehiclesuitable for use for military and para-military purposes havingincreased space in the vehicle for the installation of a weapons systemand/or the accommodation of personnel.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved vehiclesuitable for use for military and paramilitary operations having a lowernoise level than comparable vehicles in the prior art.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novelvehicle suitable for use for military and para-military purposesproviding improved visibility for the operator of such a vehicle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel vehiclesuitable for use for military and para-military purposes having improvedmaneuverability characteristics.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel vehiclesuitable for use for military and para-military purposes which is simplein design, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and more adaptableto maintenance and servicing.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become moreapparent to those persons having ordinary skill in the art from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of the inventionhaving portions thereof broken away to provide a view of the interior;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 3--3 in FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 in FIG.2;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7--7 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1 through 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 9--9 in FIG.2;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 10--10 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 11--11 inFIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a front view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 11; and,

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13--13 in FIG. 12.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated an embodiment of theinvention. Generally, the embodiment includes a hull 20, a weaponssystem 21 mounted on the hull, front and rear axle assemblies 22 and 23provided with wheels 24 and 25 and wheels 26 and 27, respectively, andbrake systems, front and rear suspension systems 28 and 29, an engine30, a transmission 31, a drive line 32, a cooling system 33, a driver'sstation 34, a steering system 35 and various engine, transmission anddrive control systems and additional auxiliary systems.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hull is of a monocoque orunitized construction, formed of armor or abrasion resistant steelpanels, welded together. Generally, the hull includes a bottom or floorsection 36, lower side wall sections 37 and 38, upper side wall sections39 and 40 (FIGS. 8 and 9), a lower front wall section 41, an upper frontwall or hood section 42, a rear wall section 43 and a top or roofsection 44. Mounted on floor section 36 is a drive line housing 45,offset slightly from the longitudinal center line of the vehicle, whichincludes a pair of side walls 46 and 47, a top wall 48 and a rear endwall 49. As best shown in FIG. 1, the lower portions of the forward andrear ends of the drive line housing are open to accommodate the axleassemblies.

Lower side wall sections 37 and 38 are welded adjacent their lower edgesto floor section 36 and project outwardly and upwardly at an angle tothe floor section. Similarly, lower front wall section 41 and rear wallsection 43 are welded adjacent their lower edges to floor section 36 andproject upwardly and outwardly at angles to the floor section. The sideedges of lower front wall section 41 and rear end wall section 43 alsoare welded to lower side sections 37 and 38. Upper side wall sections 39and 40 are welded along their lower edges to the upper edges of lowerside wall sections 37 and 38 and project inwardly and upwardly at anangle to the lower side wall sections. The rear edges of the upper sidewall sections also are welded to the upper side edges of rear end wallsection 43.

The front end of the hull is closed by the upper front wall or hoodsection 42 which includes a vision block arrangement 50. The front andside edges of the hood section are welded to the lower front end section41 and also to the side wall sections of the vehicle. The upper end orroof section 44 is substantially flat or horizontal and is provided witha forwardly-disposed raised portion 44a on which the weapon system ismounted. Otherwise, the roof section is welded about its periphery tothe upper edges of upper side well sections 39 and 40, hood section 42and rear end wall section 43.

It will be noted that the lower side wall sections of the hull areformed at an angle relative to the floor section, and the upper sidewall sections of the hull are formed at angles relative to the lowerside wall sections, in the conventional manner, for the purpose ofdeflecting small arms fire. The side wall sections also are providedwith access doors disposed adjacent the weapon station amidship, anumber of vision blocks 46 to permit occupants of the vehicle to viewthe exterior and a number of ports through which small arms may beinserted for firing. Rear end wall 43 also is provided with an accessdoor on the left-hand side thereof having a vision block to permitvisibility to the rear.

It will be seen that the hull is formed integrally from a plurality ofpanels to provide ballistic protection to the occupants of the vehicleand also to permit flotation of the hull. All doors and hatches on thehull are provided with suitable seals to prevent leakage of water intothe hull during amphibious operations. It further will be noted thatlower front end section 41 and rear end section 43 are raked for thepurpose of facilitating the entry and departure of the vehicle into andout of a body of water. The steep angles of the front and rear ends ofthe hull permit maximum angles of water entry and departure of thevehicle.

As best seen in FIG. 2, portions of the floor section and adjacentportions of the lower wall sections are cut away and provided withhousing assemblies 51 through 54, defining front and rear wells foraccommodating the wheels of the vehicle. The wheel well housings alsoare formed of panels of armor steel welded together and are integralparts of the vehicle hull.

Weapon system 21 basically consists of a turret 55, a weapon 56 mountedon the turret and a support structure or platform 57 secured to theturret and depending therefrom into the hull of the vehicle. Turret 55is supported on a large diameter bearing mounted on raised roof portion44a of the hull about an opening therein. Support platform 57 is boltedor otherwise rigidly secured to the turret and is adapted to rotate withthe turret. A drive mechanism with suitable controls is provided in theturret which cooperate with a ring gear mounted on the hull for trainingthe turret and depending support platform.

Weapon 56 is mounted on a front end of the turret and is provided with amechanism for elevating and lowering the weapon, a mechanism for feedingammunition to the weapon and suitable instruments and mechanisms foraiming and firing the weapon. Also provided in the turret are means forstoring ammunition.

Turret 55 also is formed of armor or abrasion resistant steel panelswelded together. Such panels are disposed at angles relative to eachother, again, for the purpose of deflecting small arms fire. The turretis provided with hatches on the upper end thereof to permit access tothe turret and hull, and vision blocks to permit the weapon operator toview the exterior of the vehicle. In operating the weapon, the operatormay either stand on the support platform or be seated on a seat mountedon the upper end thereof. It will be noted that in either instance theoperator would be rotated with the turret and depending supportplatform. Controls for training the turret and elevating and loweringthe weapon are provided in the turret easily accessible to the operator.

While the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawingsincludes a rotatable turret provided with a conventional form of weapon,it is understood that other types of stations may be provided in lieuthereof. The vehicle may merely have an elevated and closed top withoutany weapon system which would permit the vehicle to be used as a commandvehicle, a personnel carrier, a cargo carrier or a rescue unit. Also, inlieu of a turret provided with a conventional weapon, the vehicle may beprovided with a missile system or other forms of conventional weaponsincluding a mortar and the like.

Axle assemblies 22 and 23 are conventional, hypoid, single-speed,double-reduction type assemblies of the type used extensively by theU.S. military and manufactured and sold by the Rockwell InternationalCorporation of Troy, Mich., USA. Such assemblies are of the "top drive"type utilizing locking or no spin differentials. The brake systemsmounted on the axles are of the internal expanding type provided withhydraulic power boosters. The wheels mounted on the axles are of aconventional type having disc and rim components. The tires are of a"run flat" type, i.e., having reinforced side walls to permit limitedrunning when the tires have been punctured, manufactured and sold by theMansfield Tire and Rubber Company of Mansfield, Ohio, U.S. Such tiresfurther are provided with deep recesses in the treads thereof which areeffective to propel the vehicle at low speeds when the vehicle hull isafloat and the wheels are spinning. The upper ends of the wheels arereceived within wheel well housings 51 through 54, as best illustratedin FIG. 2.

The suspension systems are of a conventional, truck type designgenerally including heavy-duty leaf springs operatively connected to theunderside of the hull by pins and shackles and supported on the axlehousings, U-bolts and retainer plates for securing the springs to theaxle housings and conventional shock absorbers operativelyinterconnecting the hull and the axle housings. As shown in FIG. 1, theaxle and suspension assemblies are mounted on the exterior of the hull.

Engine 30 may consist of either a diesel or gas engine. Preferably,however, the engine should be a two-cycle, V-6 turbocharged dieselengine provided with a fuel injection system of a type manufactured andsold by the General Motors Corporation of Detroit, Mich., USA. As bestillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the engine is mounted within the hullbetween the axle assemblies, just forward of the rear axle and to theright of the longitudinal center line of the hull adjacent the rightside wall of the hull. Mounted on the hull directly behind the engine istransmission 31. It will be noted that the transmission overhangs therear axle. Preferably, the transmission is an automatic, five-speedtransmission, of a type manufactured and sold by the General MotorsCorporation of Detroit, Mich., USA. The roof section of the hull isprovided with a suitable access hatch to permit the installation andremoval of the engine and transmission, and servicing of suchcomponents.

Drive line 32 which transmits torque from the transmission to thedifferentials of the axles includes a drive chain assembly 58, arearwardly disposed propeller shaft 59, an intermediate propeller shaft60, a disconnect clutch 61 and a forwardly disposed propeller shaft 62.Drive chain assembly 58 is mounted on the transmission housing andfunctions to transmit drive from the transmission output shaftdownwardly and toward the longitudinal center line of the vehicle.Rearwardly disposed propeller shaft 59 is operatively connected atopposite ends with universal joints to the lower end of the chain driveassembly and rear axle assembly 23, and functions to transmit drive fromthe lower end of the drive chain assembly to the rear axle. Intermediatepropeller shaft 60 is operatively connected at opposite ends thereofthrough universal joints to rear axle assembly 23 and disconnect clutch61, and functions to transmit drive from the rear axle to the disconnectclutch. Similarly, forwardly disposed propeller shaft 62 is operativelyconnected at opposite ends thereof through universal joints todisconnect clutch 61 and axle assembly 22, and functions to transmitdrive from the disconnect clutch to front axle assembly 22. Disconnectclutch 61 functions to selectively transmit drive through forwardlydisposed propeller shaft 62 to front axle assembly 22 to permit thevehicle to be operated either in a two-wheel or four-wheel mode.Normally, during low speed, off-highway operation, the vehicle isoperated in the four-wheel mode, and during high speed, highwayoperation, the vehicle is operated in the two-wheel mode.

Referring to FIG. 1, it will be seen that chain drive assembly 58 isdisposed within the vehicle hull and propeller shafts 59, 60 and 62 anddisconnect clutch 61 are disposed on the exterior of the vehicle withindrive train housing 45. Disconnect clutch 61 is disposed below theweapon station and is mounted on a floor section 36a of the hull.Rearwardly disposed propeller shaft 59 projects from its connection tothe lower end of the chain drive assembly through an opening 63 in therear end wall 49 of the drive line housing. Water-tight integrity of thehull is maintained in such area by a rubber boot 64 surrounding theuniversal connection of shaft 59 and the lower end of the chain driveassembly, and secured at opposite ends thereof to annular flangesprovided on end wall 49 and the chain drive housing.

The chain drive assembly is best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. Theassembly includes a housing 65, a lower bearing flange 66, a housingcover 67, an upper sprocket shaft 68, a lower sprocket shaft 69 and achain 70. Chain housing 65 includes a front wall 71 rigidly secured to atransmission flange 72 by means of a plurality of circumferentiallyspaced bolts 73, and provided with an annular flange 74 for mounting andsecuring the rearward end of rubber boot 64, and a peripheral wall 75.Bearing flange 66 is substantially circular in configuration and issecured on rib portions of housing 65 at the lower end thereof by aplurality of circumferentially spaced bolts 76. Housing closure plate 67is secured to peripheral wall 75 and rib portions of housing 65 by aplurality of bolts 77.

Sprocket shaft 68 is supported at its front end on a splined portion oftransmission output shaft 78 and is journaled at its rearward end in abearing 79 mounted in a boss at the upper end of housing closure plate67. Sprocket shaft 68 is rigidly secured to the transmission outputshaft by means of a nut 80 threaded down on a threaded end portion ofthe transmission output shaft. Shaft 68 further is provided with asprocket portion 81 disposed between housing wall 71 and housing closureplate 67. Lower sprocket shaft 69 is journaled in a set of bearings 82mounted in a boss at the lower end of housing wall 71 and 83 mounted inbearing flange 66. A sprocket 84 is mounted on the intermediate portionof shaft 69 in alignment with socket portion 81 to receive sprocketchain 70. The forward end of sprocket shaft 69 is splined as at 85 onwhich there is mounted a yoke connected to rearwardly disposed propellershaft 59 through a universal connection. Sprocket shaft 69 is providedwith threaded end portions on which nuts may be threaded and torqued tosuitably preload bearings 82 and 83.

Disconnect clutch 61 is best illustrated in FIGS. 5 through 7. Itconsists of a housing 86, a pair of coaxially disposed shafts 87 and 88journaled in the housing, a coupling collar 89 and an actuating device90. Clutch housing 86 consists of two sections 91 and 92 securedtogether and bolted to floor section 36a. Housing section 91 consists ofan end wall 93 having an opening for receiving shaft 87 therethrough,top and bottom walls 94 and 95, side walls 96 and 97 and a peripheralbolting flange 98. Provided on the inner face of end wall 93 is a bore99, disposed parallel to shaft opening 93a. Similarly, housing section92 includes an end wall 100 provided with an opening 100a for receivingshaft 88 therethrough, upper and lower walls 101 and 102, side walls 103and 104 and a peripheral bolting flange 105 which is adapted to matewith bolt flange 98 of housing section 91 and secured thereto by aplurality of peripherally spaced bolts 106 to form the clutch housing.The inner face of end wall 100 of housing section 92 also is providedwith a bore 107 which is disposed parallel to shaft opening 100a and isadapted to be aligned longitudinally with bore 99 in the end wall ofhousing section 91 when sections 91 and 92 are bolted together to formthe clutch housing.

Shaft opening 93a is provided with enlarged bore sections in which thereare mounted bearings 108 and 109. Shaft 87 is provided with anintermediate portion journaled in bearings 108 and 109, a collar portion110 abutting the inner race of bearing 109, a splined inner end portion111 and a splined outer end portion 112. A yoke 113 provided withinternal splines is mounted on splined portion 112 of shaft 87, theinner end of which is adapted to engage the inner race of bearing 108. Anut 114 is threaded into a threaded end portion of shaft 87 to retainthe yoke on the shaft and may be torqued to preload bearings 108 and109. Yoke 113 is connected to the universal joint of forwardly disposedshaft 62 for transmitting drive from clutch 87 to propeller shaft 62.Contamination of outer bearing 108 is prevented by sealing rings 115disposed between an inner end of yoke 113 mounted on the outer splinedportion of shaft 87 and an annular flange portion of housing end wall93.

Shaft opening 100a in end wall 100 is disposed coaxially relative toshaft opening 93a of end wall 93 and similarly is provided with enlargedbore sections in which there are mounted bearings 116 and 117. Shaft 88includes an intermediate portion journaled in bearings 116 and 117, acollar portion 118 engaging the inner race of bearing 116, a splinedinner end portion 119, and a splined outer end portion 120. Aninternally splined yoke 121 is mounted on splined portion 120 of shaft88, which engages the inner race of bearing 117 at its inner end. A nut122 is threaded on a threaded end portion of shaft 88 to retain the yokeon the splined portion of the shaft and may be torqued to preloadbearings 116 and 117. Yoke 121 is connected to the universal connectionof intermediate propeller shaft 59 whereby drive may be transmitted frompropeller shaft 59 to clutch shaft 88. Contamination of bearing 117 isprevented by sealing rings 123 disposed between an inner portion of yoke121 and an annular flange portion of the end wall of housing section 92.

The opposed, inner faces of shafts 87 and 88 are provided with coaxiallyaligned bores 124 and 125 which are provided with needle bearings 126.Disposed within bores 124 and 125 and journaled in needle bearings 126is an aligning pin 127.

Coupling collar 89 consists of an internally splined cylindrical portion128 mounted on at least one of splined shaft portions 111 and 119 anddisplaceable axially to span the inner ends of shafts 87 and 88 andengage the splines of the shafts, and an annular flange 129 providedwith an annular groove 130. Actuating device 90 consists of a rod 131disposed in longitudinally aligned bores 99 and 107 in the housingsections, provided with a depending, C-shaped shifting element 132 whichis received in the upper portion of annular slot 130 of coupling collar89. A control cable 133 extends through a suitable opening in the endwall of housing section 91 and is connected to the shifting element. Theopposite end of the cable is connected to a control lever located at thedriver's station which may be operated to displace actuating rod 131along its length. It will be appreciated that upon operation of suchcontrol lever, actuating rod 131 and shifting element 132 will bedisplaced longitudinally to correspondingly displace coupling shaft 89longitudinally. Longitudinal displacement of coupling collar 89 willcause shafts 87 and 88 to become engaged and disengaged and thus engageand disengage the front axle from the drive line of the vehicle toprovide two or four wheel drive modes of the vehicle.

When it is desired to operate the vehicle in four wheel drive, theclutch control lever is operated to displace coupling collar 89 so thatit engages splined portions 111 and 119 to couple shafts 87 and 88together. Under such conditions, drive is transmitted from transmissionoutput shaft 87 and sprocket shaft 68 through drive chain 70, sprocketshaft 69, rearwardly disposed propeller shaft 59 to rear axle assembly23, intermediate propeller shaft 60, clutch shaft 88, coupling collar98, clutch shaft 87 and forwardly disposed propeller shaft 62 to frontaxle assembly 22. To convert from four-wheel drive to two-wheel drive,the clutch control lever is operated to shift coupling collar 89 out ofengagement with one of splined portions 111 or 119 to disengage thefront axle assembly.

Referring to FIG. 2, the interior of the vehicle hull is provided with atransversely disposed partition wall 134 disposed immediately forwardlyof the engine. Extending rearwardly from partition wall 134, along theengine, is a partition wall 135 which extends almost to the rear of thevehicle. Extending laterally from the rear end of partition wall 135 isa partition wall 136 having a forwardly curved portion 137 engaging theside wall of the hull. A radiator 138 of the cooling system for thevehicle is mounted on the hull across an opening in partition wall 135.As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 9, interior partition walls 134, 135 and136, the floor, wheel well housing 53, side wall and roof sections ofthe hull and radiator 138 form a plenum chamber 139 disposedsubstantially between the engine and a side wall of the hull. Theforward end of the plenum chamber communicates with the exterior of thevehicle through an exhaust opening 140 in the roof section of the hull.Gases expelled through exhaust opening 140 are diverted upwardly andlaterally by a baffle 141 mounted on the roof section of the hull.Radiator 138 is of a conventional construction and is connected to thecoolant circulating system of the engine in the conventional manner.Mounted at the rear end of partition wall 135 adjacent radiator 138 fordrawing air from the interior of the hull including the engine and theradiator, and expelling such air through plenum chamber 139, exhaustopening 140 and baffle 141 into the atmosphere is a fan assembly 142.

The fan assembly is best illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 and consists of ashroud 143 mounted on the rear end of partition wall 135 about opening135a, a housing 144 mounted coaxially relative to shroud 143 andsupported therein by several radially disposed struts 145, an impellershaft 146 journaled in housing 144, an impeller 147 mounted on the frontend of shaft 146 adjacent opening 135a, and a fluid motor 148 mounted onthe outer end of housing 144 and operatively connected to impeller shaft146. Fluid motor 148 is operated by a pump driven by an auxiliary systemon the engine.

An advantage of the cooling system as described is that the engine neednot be located in a closed compartment as in vehicles in the prior artutilizing conventional cooling systems. Air is drawn by the fan assemblyfrom the interior of the entire vehicle, thus providing a certain amountof ventilation and removing smoke and other noxious gases which resultsin greater comfort to operating personnel. Air also is drawn from theexterior of the hull through an inlet opening 149 provided in roofsection 44, above the engine, which passes along the engine andtransmission to the radiator. A portion of such air is drawn through anair inlet member 150 of the turbocharger assembly of the engine. Airexpelled by the fan assembly through plenum chamber 139 also passes inheat exchange contact with an exhaust pipe 151 and muffler 152 of theengine, located in the front end of plenum chamber 139. With such anarrangement, exhaust gases emanating from exhaust pipe 151 will becomeentrained in the air expelled through the plenum chamber by the fanassembly and expelled into the atmosphere. The entry of foreign matterthrough inlet opening 149 is prevented by an arrangement of componentsincluding an upwardly opening duct 153 mounted on roof section 44 aboutthe periphery of air inlet 149, and a cover member 154 mounted on theroof section and spaced above the upper end of duct 153 to permit airfrom the atmosphere to be drawn between duct 153 and cover 154 andpassed downwardly through inlet 149 into the interior of the hull.

Whenever the cooling system of the vehicle is operated, air will bedrawn through air inlet 149 and from the interior of the entire vehicle,through the radiator and plenum chamber and be expelled outwardlythrough exhaust opening 140 and baffle 141 into the atmosphere. As airis drawn from the interior of the vehicle, smoke and other noxious gaseswill be withdrawn from the personnel areas of the vehicle. As the airpasses along the engine and transmission to the radiator, it will have acooling effect on both the transmission and the engine. In addition, aportion of such air flow will be drawn through air inlet 150 to feed theturbocharger of the engine. As the gases are diverted and caused to flowforwardly in the plenum chamber, they will have a cooling effect on theexhaust pipe and muffler located in the front end of the plenum chamberand will entrain exhaust gases from the engine which will be expelledinto the atmosphere.

The positioning of the exhaust outlet forwardly in the vehicle in lieuof the rear of the vehicle where it has been the conventional practiceto locate the exhaust outlet, has the benefit of eliminating thepossibility of the entry of water into the hull through the exhaustopening when the vehicle is departing from a body of water at a steepangle and the rear end of the vehicle is lowered to or below the waterline. In addition, the positioning of the engine exhaust means in theplenum chamber where it is entrained with and cooled by the circulatingair, has the benefit of providing a cooler exhaust which renders thevehicle less vulnerable to detection by heat sensing devices.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the driver's station 34 is disposed at theforward end of the vehicle between wheel well housings 51 and 52. Thedriver's station is provided with a driver's seat 155, a steering wheelassembly 156 forming a part of the steering system for the vehicle and acontrol console 157. Located next to the driver'seat is an assistantdriver or companion seat 156. Seats 155 and 156 can be of any suitabletype. Preferably, however, such seats should be vertically adjustableand should permit easy access and departure.

Steering assembly 156 includes a lower housing section 158 mounted onthe hull adjacent wheel well housing 51, an upwardly projecting housingsection 159 disposed laterally of the leg area of a driver seated inseat 155 and an upper, inwardly projecting housing section 160 extendingacross the legs of the driver. Lower housing section 159 contains asteering gear having a sector shaft 161 projecting through an opening inthe hull. Depending from the sector shaft is a Pittman arm which isconnected through a drag link to a steering arm on axle assembly 122, inthe conventional manner. A steering shaft is disposed in intermediatehousing section 59 and is operatively connected at its lower end to thesteering gear in housing 158. The upper end of the steering shaft isconnected by a chain and sprocket assembly in upper housing 160 to awheel shaft 162 journaled on an inner end of said upper housing section160, in front of the driver's chair. A conventional steering wheel 163is mounted on shaft 162 in easy reach of the driver seated on seat 155.It will be appreciated that upon turning steering wheel 163, the rotarymotion is transmitted through the chain and sprocket assembly, the shaftin housing section 159, the steering gear in housing section 158 andsector shaft 161 to the components transmitting the steering motion fromthe sector shaft to axle assembly 22. In the conventional manner, axleassembly 22 is provided with a tie rod arrangement for transmittingsteering motion from one wheel to the other, and a suitable power assistarrangement.

Control console 157 contains the various controls and instrumentationfor the vehicle. The clutch control lever for operating disconnectclutch 61 is mounted on each console. In addition, the control leversfor the engine and transmission are mounted on each console. Allauxiliary electrical and hydraulic systems for the vehicle arecontrolled from appropriate levers, switches and buttons located on theconsole within easy reach of the driver.

Vision block arrangement 50 mounted on the front wall or hood section 42of the hull is best illustrated in FIGS. 11 through 13. Such arrangementconsists of three vision blocks 164, 165 and 166 mounted in openings inthe hood section in front of the driver's station. The vision blocks aremounted at substantially eye level with respect to an operatorpositioned on driver's seat 155 and are arranged arcuately relative tothe head position of the operator. Each of the vision blocks is of alaminated glass construction and is provided with diverging upper andlower surfaces and diverging side surfaces so that by virtue of theirarcuate arrangement, they provide a panoramic view for the driver of thevehicle. The vision blocks are supported on a raised portion of the hoodsection of the hull including upper flaring panels 167, 168 and 169projecting forwardly and downwardly at a small angle to the horizontal,and a second set of flaring panels 170, 171 and 172 projecting forwardlyand downwardly at a greater angle to the horizontal from the front edgesof panels 167, 168 and 169. The sides of end vision blocks 167 and 169abut a pair of side panels 173 and 174 which are secured along theirlower edges to flaring panels 167 and 170, and flaring panels 169 and172, respectively. The vision blocks are separated by partition panels175 and 176 and are protected overhead by flaring panels 177, 178 and179 which are secured to the upper edges of side panels 173 and 174, andpartition panels 175 and 176.

As best illustrated in FIG. 1, the raised portion of hood section 42 onwhich the vision block arrangement is supported, is disposed abovesteering wheel 63. Such an arrangement is most advantageous to thedriver in that it permits the driver's head to be located near thevision block arrangement, providing him with a panoramic view of theexterior while permitting easy access to the steering wheel andsufficient area above the wheel to operate the wheel without strikingany portion of the hood section of the hull. The driver's seatpreferably is adjustable vertically so that the driver can adjust hiseye level with the level of the vision blocks. Furthermore, both thedriver's seat and the companion's seat preferably can be adjustedupwardly sufficient to permit the head of the driver or companion toproject through openings provided above the driver's station or thecompanion's station. Such openings above the driver's and companion'sstations are provided with hatches 180 which may be opened and closed inany suitable manner.

In addition to the various systems of the vehicle as described, thevehicle may be provided with additional required and optional equipmentand systems such as a fuel system, a winch system, operating batteries,a bilge pump, communications equipment, a lighting system, and the like.As previously indicated, the weapons station may be replaced with otherforms of stations within the contemplation of the present invention.

During the operation of the vehicle as described, the driver ispositioned on driver's seat 55 within easy reach of the steering wheeland the control console, and is provided with maximum visibility. Whentraversing rough terrain, he may operate the clutch control lever toengage the clutch and place the vehicle in a four-wheel drive mode. Whentraveling on level terrain or on roadways, the driver may simply operatethe clutch control lever to disengage the clutch and place the vehiclein two-wheel drive. During amphibious operations, when it is desirableto utilize the propelling force of all the wheels, the clutch controllever is operated to place the vehicle in four-wheel drive.

It will be appreciated that by locating the engine in a vehicle asdescribed, the engine load will be more uniformly distributed betweenthe front and rear axle assemblies thus resulting in less component wearand breakdown, and greater stability of the vehicle during flotation.Furthermore, it will be noted that by positioning the engine asdescribed with the transmission and drive transfer means being disposedrearwardly of the engine, maximum crew space is provided on the hull andthe need for heavy, complex and costly transfer cases, as used invehicles of the prior art, are eliminated. The elimination of a geartransfer case as used in comparable vehicles in the prior art and thepositioning of the drive transfer means at the rear end of the vehiclealso functions to reduce the noise level of the drive line arrangementand to locate such noise source to a position in the vehicle most remotefrom the crew compartment. It further will be appreciated that with theinvention as described, the comfort of the crew will be improved by theremoval of smoke and other noxious gases in the crew compartment and thegeneral ventilation of the entire interior of the hull by the novelcooling system of the vehicle. The operation of the vehicle also isfacilitated by the improved accessibility and visibility features of thevehicle as described. Finally, it will be noted that the simplicity ofthe drive line arrangement and the selection of components for the driveline will result in a reduced manufacturing cost of the vehicle.

From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that thereare a number of changes, adaptations and modifications of the presentinvention which come within the province of those skilled in the art.However, it is intended that all such variations not departing from thespirit of the invention be considered as within the scope thereof and islimited solely by the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. In an armored vehicle having a body of monocoqueconstruction and an engine positioned in said body, a cooling systemcomprising:a plenum chamber disposed in said body between a sidewall ofsaid body and said engine, said engine being disposed outside of saidplenum chamber, a plenum exhaust means associated with said plenumchamber for exhausting gases from a forward portion of said plenumchamber to the exterior of said body, a fan mounted in a rear portion ofsaid plenum chamber, a radiator disposed in the interior of said bodysubstantially in a rear corner thereof and operatively connected to saidengine, a securing means for securing said radiator and said fan in saidbody immediately adjacent to each other and in parallel vertical planesdisposed generally parallel to the center longitudinal axis of saidbody, said body including an air inlet opening disposed generally abovesaid engine, a driving means operatively connected to said fan fordriving said fan, and said fan being positioned, so that it draws airthrough said air inlet, then rearwardly through the interior of saidbody, rearwardly over said engine, laterally through said radiator andgenerally forward through said plenum chamber and out through saidplenum exhaust means, an operator's station positioned in a forwardlocation in said body forward of said engine, and said driving meansdriving said fan so that it draws air rearward away from said operator'sstation.
 2. The cooling system of claim 1 including,said plenum chamberincluding a solid front wall fixed to said sidewall of said body, asolid interior side wall generally parallel to said body sidewall andpermanently fixed to said front wall, and a solid back wall meanspermanently fixed to said body.
 3. The cooling system of claim 1including,said plenum chamber being laterally adjacent to said engine.4. The cooling system of claim 3 including,an access means for providingaccess between said operator's station and said engine, and said accessmeans extending laterally across a longitudinal axis of said body. 5.The cooling system of claim 1 including,said engine having an engineexhaust means, and said engine exhaust means being disposed in saidplenum exhaust means.
 6. The cooling system of claim 1 including,a fluidmotor disposed in said plenum chamber, drivingly connected to said fan,and operatively connected to said engine.
 7. The cooling system of claim1 including,said plenum exhaust means including a diverting means fordiverting exhaust gases laterally and outwardly.
 8. The cooling systemof claim 1 including,said plenum chamber being defined by a portion ofsaid body, an interior plenum side wall disposed between said engine andsaid body, and a front wall disposed between said interior plenum sidewall and said body and said radiator being disposed between saidinterior plenum side wall and said body.
 9. The cooling system of claim8 including,said radiator being disposed in substantially longitudinalalignment with said interior plenum side wall.
 10. The cooling system ofclaim 1 including,a front and a rear axle assembly connected to saidbody, and said plenum exhaust means having an exhaust outlet disposedabove said rear axle assembly.
 11. The cooling system of claim 1including,an access means for providing access within said body forpersonnel between said operator's station and said engine, and saidaccess means extending laterally across the center longitudinal axis ofsaid body.